Avatar Meher Baba

Merwan Sheriar Irani, known as Meher Baba, was born in Poona, India, on February 25, 1894, of Persian parents. His father, Sheriar Irani, was of Zoroastrian faith and a true seeker of God. Merwan went to a Christian high school in Poona and later attended Deccan College. In 1913, while still in college, a momentous event occurred in his life…the meeting with Hazrat Babajan, an ancient Mohammedan woman and one of the five Perfect Masters of the Age. Babajan gave him God-Realization and made him aware of his high spiritual destiny.

Eventually he was drawn to seek out another Perfect Master, Upasni Maharaj, a Hindu who lived in Sakori. During the next seven years Maharaj gave Merwan “Gnosis” or Divine Knowledge. Thus Merwan attained spiritual Perfection. His spiritual mission began in 1921 when he drew together his first close disciples. It was the the early disciples who gave him the name Meher Baba, which means “Compassionate Father.”

After years of intensive training of his disciples, Meher Baba established a colony near Ahmednagar that is called Meherabad. Here the Master’s work embraced a free school where spiritual training was stressed, a free hospital and dispensary, and shelters for the poor. No distinction was made between the high castes and the untouchables; all mingled in common fellowship through the inspiration of the Master. To his disciples at Meherabad, who were of different castes and creeds, he gave a training of moral discipline, love for God, spiritual understanding and selfless service.

Meher Baba told his disciples that from July 10, 1925, he would observe silence. Since that day he maintained silence throughout the years. His many spiritual discourses and messages were dictated by means of an alphabet board. Much later the Master discontinued the use of the board and reduced all communication to hand gestures unique in expressiveness and understandable to many.

Meher Baba traveled to the Wesern world six times, first in 1931, when he contacted his early Western disciples. His last visit to America was in 1958 when he and his disciples stayed at the Center established for his work in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

In India as many as one hundred thousand people would come in one day to seek his His Darshan or blessing; from all over the world there were those would journey to spend a few days, even a single day, in his presence.

An important part of Meher Baba’s work was to personally contact and serve hundreds of those known in India as “masts.” These are advanced pilgrims on the spiritual path who have become spiritually intoxicated from direct awareness of God. For this work He traveled many thousands of miles to remote places throughout India and Ceylon. Other vital work was the washing of the lepers, the washing of the feet of thousands of poor and the distribution of grain and cloth to the destitute.

Meher Baba asserted that he is the same Ancient One, come again to redeem man from his bondage of ignorance and to guide him to realize his true Self in God. Meher Baba is acknowledged by many followers all over the world as the Avatar of the Age.

(Published by the Courtesy of the Meher Spiritual Center, Myrtle Beach, SC)